![]() ECG monitoring for 24 hours is most useful, since with this syndrome, heart rate may alternate between slow and fast, and the determination of this fact can help differentiate sick sinus syndrome from other arrhythmias. Electrocardiography (ECGs) is a commonly used method of detecting sick sinus syndrome. DiagnosisĪ slow pulse, especially one that is irregular, may be the first indication of sick sinus syndrome. Patients may also experience confusion, heart palpitations, angina or heart failure. In general, however, the common symptoms are those associated with slow heart rate, such as light-headedness, or dizziness, fatigue and fainting. Other conditions, such as sarcoidosis (round bumps in the tissue surrounding the heart and other organs), Chagas' disease (resulting from the bite of a bloodsucking insect) or certain cardiac myopathies can cause fiber-like tissue to grow around the normal sinus node, causing the node to malfunction.Ī patient may not show any symptoms of sick sinus syndrome. Cardiac amyloidosis, a condition in which amyloid, a kind of protein, builds up in heart tissue, may affect the sinus node. Sick sinus syndrome may be brought on by the use of certain drugs, but is most common in elderly patients. A sick sinus node may be responsible for starting beats too slowly, pausing too long between initiation of heartbeats, or not producing heartbeats at all. This makes the diagnosis and treatment of sick sinus syndrome more complicated than most other cardiac arrhythmias (irregular heart beats). Also, it is not uncommon to see fluctuations between slow and rapid heart rate (tachycardia). In sick sinus syndrome, patients normally will experience bradycardia, or slowed heart rate. The sinus node in the heart functions as the heart's pacemaker, or beat regulator. With sick sinus syndrome, the sinus node fails to signal properly, resulting in changes in the heart rate. Know how you can contact your healthcare provider if you have questions, especially after office hours or on weekends.Sick sinus syndrome is a disorder of the sinus node of the heart, which regulates heartbeat. If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit. Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure. Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean. Also know what the side effects are.Īsk if your condition can be treated in other ways. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you. Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.īefore your visit, write down questions you want answered.īring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you.Īt the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. ![]() Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: This is done to check for structural heart problems. This is a hospital test that involves threading catheters into your heart through a vein in your groin, and electrically stimulating parts of your heart.Įchocardiogram or ultrasound (sonogram) of your heart. ![]() It records the heart rhythm for up to 3 years.Įlectrophysiologic testing. This is a small heart recorder put underneath the skin over the heart. This is a recorder you wear over several days to weeks that samples your heart rate.Īn implantable loop recorder. Some Holter monitors can be worn for several weeks.Īn event recorder. This is a recorder you wear for over 24 hours that takes an ECG. If you don't have symptoms at the time of your ECG, it may look normal.Īn ECG while you walk on a treadmill (stress test).Ī Holter monitor. This is a machine that records your heart's rate and rhythm. To diagnose your condition, your healthcare provider will do an electrocardiogram (ECG). Your healthcare provider may think you have SSS based on your symptoms, but they are common in many other diseases. ![]()
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